During my thirty years of practice I have watched the “relationship”
part of the doctor-patient relationship evaporate. Corporate run health
agencies, insurance policies, and even governmental regulations have
driven a wedge between the doctor and the patient. Under our current
model, patients are lucky to spend five minutes with a physician for
their visit are limited to diagnostics and therapeutics based on insurance
company determined “bottom line” decisions. The frustration is palpable
between patients and their doctors.

The paradox is that in our age of accelerating technology and information
exchange, there is a better opportunity for the doctor and patient
to partner in health care decisions. Based on our genetic landmines
that can now be determined through simple testing, medical care can
now be personalized. Because access to medical care is now sadly limited,
most people turn to the Internet as their first source of medical
information. This is extremely dangerous since so much of this information
is anecdotal and generic. The headache that John complains of may
have no reference to the same symptoms that affects Mary. The Internet
helps one decide when to call the doctor; the hard part is finding
the doctor.